How to Create a Lead Magnet That Your Clients Will Love

Lead magnets are the backbones of many SUCCESSFULemail marketing campaigns.

Essentially, they’re an incentive, or “opt-in bribe” that you offer to potential clients in exchange for their contact details.

They usually come in digital formats that can be downloaded immediately. Think eBooks, checklists, reports, and so on…

Creating a lead magnet is easy. Creating an effective lead magnet is more challenging though. Let’s take a look at how we can accomplish the latter goal.

But before we start, let’s understand why lead magnets work…

Why MUST Every Business Have a Lead Magnet?

Suppose you met a stranger in the street. Would you give them your phone number if they asked for it?

Probably not. But why wouldn’t you…?

Well, because your phone number is a personal thing and so you wouldn’t share it unless you had a compelling reason to do so.

Guess what? The same principle applies to email. No one wants to give you their details unless there’s a good reason to do so. Your lead magnet MUST be that reason.

The majority of people who come to your site are not looking to buy yet. They’re fishing around, researching, or maybe reading more about your company.

And once they’re done… they leave.

Does that mean you should ignore the bulk of your traffic? Obviously not. When a visitor displays interest in what you have, you want to collect their email so that you can touch base with them later on. That’s why you NEED a lead magnet.

Understanding Your Client

Selling a product starts with understanding your client. Otherwise, it’s going to take a lot of “convincing” to do.

And then guess what? All you have to do is offer them the products they’re already looking for. I hope you can see that much less “convincing” will be required. Makes sense?

The first step in understanding your client is understanding who you want to target.

A “one size fits all” approach will not work. You need to dig deeper.

So let’s take a common example. Suppose your products are in the weight loss niche. There are a LOT of people that want to lose weight. So what is a good way to narrow down your audience?

The key is to always be specific. For example, you could say that you’re going to target mothers who are trying to lose their baby fat, just after giving birth. See what I mean?

Moving on from there, you need to understand their problems, their daily difficulties, and the other factors that could affect their lives.

Following on with the example above, you might be able to deduce that your customer is short on time. They have to take care of their newborn, their other children and also finish all of the house chores.

They might be stressed out for leaving their job and losing some of their household income. This might be their first child, so they’re still trying to figure things out.

You can go deeper and deeper. Knowing these elements allows you to sympathize with your ideal client, to connect with them, and most importantly, to understand them.

So you might have a list of ten or more problems in front of you. But out of those problems, which are the most pertinent? The ones they are most desperate to solve? The ones they’re most likely to spend money on? These are the problems you need to focus on.

What solutions can you provide? What steps does your customer need to accomplish to reach their goal? How can they stay motivated? Does this solution fit around their current life? Keep asking these questions and then formulate a solution that fits your client’s scenario.

You might think you know all this upfront, but research is critical. Communicate with your audience, follow them, and read their forums. That’s how you’ll know which problems they are desperate to solve.

Wow, that was a mouthful. But this is only step one!

Proven Lead Magnet Ideas

Before you create a solution, it’s important you consider the format you’d like to deliver your lead magnet in. And there’s plenty of them.

In case you’re stuck, here are some lead magnets you may want to consider:

Checklist – People want to make sure everything is pitch perfect. They don’t want to miss the finest detail. A checklist is a great idea as it condenses everything the reader wants to know into a single actionable list.

Template – Templates are effective because they reduce the work or knowledge required to complete a certain task. You provide the starting point, and the user simply fills in the blanks.

Resource List – If you can save someone a ton of research and time, then they’ll be more than happy to give you their contact details. All you have to do is pull out the best resources and present them in a cohesive manner.

Swipe File – When it comes to time-saving, swipe files are even more irresistible than templates. The user simply copies and pastes.

EBook – To be successful, an eBook must provide a strong reason for your customer to read it. It takes more of the user’s time so it must be packed with valuables and must be highly beneficial.

These are only a few of your options. There are plenty more! Just think about what would “seal the deal” for your ideal customer.

The Checklist for a Successful Lead Magnet

So you’ve understood your client, and you have a compelling solution. Now what?

Your next step is to check if your lead magnet meets the following criteria:

Does it solve a problem? Your lead magnet should tackle a problem the customer has. It should offer a compelling solution. That’s what will ultimately convince them to give you their contact information.

Is it specific? Don’t create a general solution. People want to solve a personal problem. The more specific you get, the more leads you’ll convert.

Is it quick to consume? You want to have a fine balance between providing quality content and not taking too much of the user’s time. If you offer a 100-page eBook, guess what will happen? Most likely, it’ll be ignored.

Can it be accessed immediately? – You want to capture your user in the heat of the moment. They’re eager and excited RIGHT NOW! Wait till later, and they may have found something else, or they may be no longer interested.

Does it promote action? – Your goal with a lead magnet is offer help, demonstrate their expertise, but then to lead them onto the next part of their journey. For example, you could suggest your course or a consultation call as a follow-up.

Is it aligned with your products and services? Your products and services should seem like the next natural step after your customer finishes your lead magnet. Both need to be on the same topic. Otherwise, what’s the point of offering the lead magnet in the first place?

Make sure your lead magnet meets these criteria. If it doesn’t, keep tweaking it until it does. The hard work will pay off later!

Final Touches

Now that everything is ready, you just need to apply these final touches

Review your work – Check for grammar mistakes, typos, or even topics that you haven’t covered well. Once you’ve checked it, check it again. Then get someone else to review your work.

Create an eye-catching design – Your lead magnet needs to be pleasing and attractive to the eye. Have you created a high-quality cover for your lead magnet? Ultimately, your cover is the packaging for your product.

Start using it – You’ve put a lot of time and effort into creating a quality lead magnet. Don’t leave it sitting there. Start using it!

After the Lead Magnet

Your work is not done after you’ve delivered the lead magnet. In fact, it’s just started. Now that you have your customer’s details, you’ll have to touch base with them, build trust, build credibility, and above all, provide value. It takes dedication, time, and repetition to create a strong relationship with your customer. But once you’ve built some credibility, then you can start offering them your services. And if they trust you… they’ll buy!